Lewiston Civic Center again newsmaker at Town Board meeting

by jmaloni

Sat, Apr 27th 2013 11:00 am

Support for
Civic Center voiced

by Terry Duffy

The Lewiston Civic Center again dominated
the goings-on at Monday's Lewiston Town Board meeting.

With the Niagara River Greenway Commission
set to vote on consistency for the Civic Center proposal at its Tuesday, May
21, general meeting in the Beaver Island State Park Clubhouse on Grand Island,
momentum continued to build. In fact, it seemed to overwhelm all other news at
the session.

The meeting led off with a presentation by
Pat Brown of Brown and Co. LLP CPAs, who provided the Town Board with pro-forma
financials on the center and expectations for its first five years of
operation.

Overall, Brown's comments and the
financial forecasts for the center's operations were somewhat conservative in
nature, but still very much on the upbeat. He forecasted an assumed debt
service via Greenway funding of $8 million or $430,000 annually, and utility
and heating costs covered by New York State Power Authority annual relicensing
stipends to the town.

As to operation costs, Brown focused
mainly on athletic events to be held at the center, seasonally over nine
months, with virtually no activity in the summer, and forecasted the center
would operate in the red with estimated revenue of $357,000 and expenses of
$371,000 in year one. The center would see a roughly $14,000 deficit with no
concessions or advertising revenue at its start.

But those numbers would be expected to
change for the positive in years two through five and onward, said Brown. He
envisioned average revenue increases of 10 percent per year from the growing
center activities, athletic and possibly otherwise, while expenses, from areas
such as maintenance, utilities, supplies, and staffing would be in the 5
percent range annually for years two to five. "I see a $200,000 surplus at the
end of five years," Brown told the board. He factored in the town utilizing
NYPA assistance to cover utility costs.

"Our work (on the numbers) compared
assumptions to those facilities already operating" in the area, said Brown.

For Lewiston, he found only one possible
weak area - that being $30,000 in revenues anticipated over five years from the
use of basketball courts in the center. Brown said that was due to having no
other comparisons to work off in the area and again being very conservative in
his estimates.

"Look, these are assumptions, a road map,"
said Brown. "But they are very realistic."

Also very real at Monday's session was the
strong enthusiasm in comments conveyed to the board from growing segments of
the Lewiston community. Nine more offered their support, including
Lewiston-Porter coaches and student athletes, plus very noted endorsements from
a former Olympian with past involvement on the Greenway Commission, a former
county legislator, and from prominent Lewiston area business interests.

•Townline Road resident Allen James, a
former Olympian who now coaches soccer, called the new center "an important
venue for all ages. It brings communities together," said the Sanborn resident,
who told board members he doesn't see any negatives.

Allen also told the board of his past
association with the Greenway Commission and opined that the center is very
much "in keeping with the Greenway concept."

•Morgan Drive resident Lee Simonson,
former county legislator, now associated with the Historical Association of
Lewiston, strongly endorsed the Civic Center to the board. He spoke of three
direct benefits that would come as a result of having such a facility: the new
ability of Lewiston to attract and retain young families; the use of a
year-long athletic center and a greater ability for Lewiston-Porter to nurture
scholarship-caliber athletes; and the appeal of having a complete community
center for residents of all ages. "This is our generation's gift to the
future," said Simonson. It will be "a tremendous addition to the area."

•Businessman Calogero Soldano of Casa
Antica Ristorante in Lewiston told Supervisor Steve Reiter and board members a
new Civic Center means "great possibilities to business owners in the area. I
see great things coming from the center to benefit all kinds of business. The
possibilities are endless."

•Ron LaDuca, Recreation (Civic Center)
member, provided Reiter and the board a letter from Alan R. Elia Jr. and
Michael Elia, of Sevenson Environmental Services, pledging the company's
intentions to provide "in kind services to the town to make the center as
affordable as possible."

"Here are more examples of the positive
response for this from the business community," he said. LaDuca offered a
similar business commitment to board members last month.

Public comments to the Niagara River
Greenway Commission on the Lewiston Civic Center are being accepted until April
30. Comments can be directed online at http://www.niagaragreenway.org.